Tucked away in a residential neighborhood in Cincinnati, OH, is Tropical Foliage Plants Inc. At first glance, it may look like any other greenhouse, but inside, a strong work ethic and tight-knit family run a unique business model.
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Dale Lutz, President of Tropical Foliage Plants, oversees the day-to-day operations in Cincinnati. The operation has 50,000 square feet of production space, but much of the greenhouse space is used to house finished plants from partner growers, including Dale’s brother, Dave, of Ponkan Pines Nursery in Apopka, FL.
Dale and Dave’s father, Louis Lutz, founded Tropical Foliage Plants in Cincinnati in 1968. He bought an existing greenhouse and began selling dish gardens and houseplants to florists. With plans to expand, Tropical Foliage Plants moved to its current location in 1975.
Dale joined Tropical Foliage Plants in 1988 after realizing that life in a cubicle was not for him. He studied engineering at The Ohio State University but later decided to pursue a career in the family business.
“When I first started, I had a broom in my hand and I swept,” Dale says. “I think my dad was testing me to see if I was planning to stay.”
Dale took over dish garden production, which was more than half of the business at the time. He says Tropical Foliage Plants was bringing in 100-200 cases of 3-inch plants for dish garden production each week. He learned to manage not only plant purchasing, but also how to manage the production team of 10 employees.
A Sibling Duo
In the 1980s, Louis was having trouble finding a consistent, high-quality supply of finished plants. He visited Florida searching for land and decided to open a nursery to supply Tropical Foliage Plants. This way, Louis could control the supply and the quality of his plants. Ponkan Pines Nursery was founded in Apopka, FL, in 1986. Shortly after the founding, Dave Lutz headed south to run the business.
Dale and Dave each own 50% of each company. The sibling duo has mastered the art of timely supply and demand.
“Every week, Dave gives me an availability and I give him an order,” Dale says.
Tropical Foliage Plants buys about 60% of the crops grown at Ponkan Pines Nursery, and the remaining 40% is sold to other wholesalers throughout the country.
Dale explains that Tropical Foliage doesn’t quite fit the mold for the average greenhouse. The operation has greenhouses but only grows about 20% of its products in-house. The rest of its products come from Ponkan Pines Nursery, and other grower partners in Florida, California, and Canada.
“We’re not a typical greenhouse,” Dale says. “We’re like a middleman.” New shipments are delivered weekly and usually stay at Tropical Foliage Plants for less than a week before they are shipped to customers, including garden centers, retail flower shops, interiorscapers, and houseplant stores.
Expansion Over the Years
The life expectancy of a greenhouse can vary, depending on whether it’s glass, poly, or acrylic, and the maintenance over the years can make a difference. When Louis bought the current location in 1975, there were already greenhouses on site. Those greenhouses are nearly 100 years old and are still in production.
Tropical Foliage Plants grows a variety of items, including tradescantia, Boston ferns, spiders, 2-inch terrariums, poinsettias, potted bulbs, potted annuals, hanging baskets, and patio pots. The business receives a diverse array of plants from its suppliers, including echeveria, bromeliad, aroid varieties, and trending plants, such as Philodendron ‘Pink Princess’ and Monstera ‘Thai Constellation’.
Over the years, Dale and Dave cultivated relationships with other growers to find the best of the best in terms of quality, diversity, and customer service. For example, Dale speaks highly of Northland Floral in Ontario, noting that they go out of their way to meet the needs of Tropical Foliage Plants.
“We’re known for our quality,” Dale says. “We have consistent quality plants and our team is easy to get along with. Coming up with new crops every week is a challenge, but I think we do a pretty good job of researching to see what other nurseries have available.”
When Dale was growing up, there was a pond to feed the greenhouses, which doubled as a common spot to hang out with high school friends. As Louis planned a warehouse expansion, the pond was filled in, and some plants were grown outdoors where the pond was, such as mums. That outdoor growing space was recently replaced with four new poly arch greenhouses from Prospiant.
“These new houses will help us get through the spring rush,” Dale says. “They enable us to bring up plants earlier so we can do inventory and have them ready when the rush hits — instead of bringing them up that week. Then you’re battling for truck space.”
Dale says Tropical Foliage Plants’ logistics provider, Peninsula Trucking Inc., goes out of its way to provide the greenhouse with three trucks per week during the peak season.
“We can bring in the spring plants early,” he says. “Otherwise, it’s four to five semis in one week.”
The new greenhouses also have automated environmental controls, including heating, cooling, and ventilation.
The 100-year-old greenhouses were from Rough Brothers, one of the companies under the new brand Prospiant. Dale has a longstanding relationship with Keith Bemerer of Prospiant, so he welcomed the team to offer estimates for new structures.
A Positive Company Culture
There are several aspects of the business that Dale is proud of, but they all stem from its people. Many core team members at Tropical Foliage Plants have been at the operation for 30 to 40 years, he says, noting its growth and success would not have been possible without them. One of the truck drivers has been with the company for 40 years, as well.
“It makes me proud to go from our original greenhouses to what we have now — just from selling houseplants,” Dale says. “There was a houseplant boom in the ’70s, too. My dad told me about it in the ’90s and I was like ‘Yeah right.’ But we did it again. We made it through COVID-19, and I didn’t let anyone go. My dad always said you have to take care of your customers and your employees. That’s what I’m proud of.”
The company culture is far from corporate America, he says. But the leadership team treats everyone like family, which is why so many have stuck around for decades. Dale says he is pretty laid back, but stern when necessary.
For example, when Dale recently hopped on a flight to Denver, CO, for the early arrival of a granddaughter, his team handled an incoming shipment and let him focus on his family. When the tables turn, Dale gives his team members the flexibility to handle unexpected situations without additional stress from their jobs.
“If they have something going on and they need to take off, I go out of my way to take care of them. It’s mutual,” he says.
Dale’s son, Adam, is interested in the business. He is working as a part-time truck driver for Tropical Foliage Plants and handles various other responsibilities, such as waiting on customers and filling orders.
When Dale was younger, he always thought the business should continue to expand. Louis told him that bigger is not always better, and may come with more headaches. Dale sees the same trend with his son as he learns the ropes. One of the most important lessons Dale shares is not to stress over the little things.
Strategy for Future Plans
With the addition of four new greenhouses, Tropical Foliage Plants is looking at the best strategy moving forward. The 100-year-old greenhouses are in need of renovations and could be repaired. There is also an opportunity to reevaluate the best use of production space at the operation to get the most bang for your buck. For example, this may be an opportunity to expand on some of its most popular items, including pothos, Chinese evergreen (aglaonema), and spathiphyllum.
“If I had a penny for every spathiphyllum we’ve sold in 40 years, I would be living in a mansion in Hawaii,” Dale says. “It’s a low light plant, blooms white, and it will take abuse.”
Dale says Tropical Foliage Plants currently ships to customers in the Cincinnati area and about a 170-mile radius from there, including Lexington, KY, Louisville, KY, and Indianapolis, IN. The company may expand some routes into Columbus, OH. However, he says the market this year may be tricky because it is an election year.
“The election always has an effect, no matter what happens,” Dale says. “Consumers start to worry, and they don’t spend extra money on houseplants.”
He says Tropical Foliage Plants is lucky to have long-term team members and some young people who are excited about horticulture.
“We couldn’t have done this without our long-term team members. Not many people take this kind of job as their career,” Dale says. “We need more people like that who are into plants — that’s how our customers are. They get excited about new plants, and so do we.”
